O F S E R P E N T S. 207 



whole World is the Temple of God. The Sicyoniam would build 

 no Temple to their Goddefs Coronis: Nor would the Atbeniam 

 ere6l a Statue to the Goddels Clemency^ who they faid was to live 

 in the Hearts of Men^ not within Stone-JValls. The GoddefTes 

 were numerous, but I fhall add no more. 



They did not only enroll Men and Women among their Gods, 

 but they had alfo Hermaphrodite^Gods. Thus Miner^va^ accord- 

 ing to feveral of the Learned, was both Man and Woman, and 

 worshipped as fuch under the Appellation of Lumis & Luna. 

 MitbraSy the Ferjian Deity y was both God and Goddefs j there 

 were Gods of Virtue, Vice, Time, Place, Death .... Infancy. 

 Not Men only, but every thing that relates to Mankind, has alfo 

 been deified, as Infancy, Age, Death, Labor, Reft, Sleep, Virtues, 

 Vices, Time, Place .... Infancy alone had a numerous Train of 

 Deities. They alfo ador'd the Gods of Health, Love, Fear, Pain, 

 Indignation, Shame, Renown, Prudence, Art, Science, Fidelity, 

 Liberty, Money, War, Peace, Vidory. . . , . 



Thus we have feen, that nothing more common among Pa- 

 gans, than to place Men among the Number of Deities ; yea, 

 fome of them would not wait for their Deification till Death. 

 Thus Nebuchadnezzar y King of Babylony procured his Image to 

 be 'worjlnppcd while he was living. Thus Augufius had Altars 

 eredted and Sacrifices offered to him while alive. He had Priefls 

 called AuguftaleSy and Temples at Lyons, and feveral other Places. 

 He was the firfl Roman who carried Idolatry to fuch a pitch : 

 Having in a mofl refpedtful manner view'd the embalm'd Body 

 of Alexander the Greaty was afk'd, if he would fee Ptolemy % alfo ? 

 he anfwer'd, His Curiojity was to fee a King^ not a Man. His 

 Favourite- Poet complements him with the Title of God'^. Yea, 

 the Ethiopians deem'd all their Kings Gods. 



II. Inanimate 'T'hi?2gs turnd into Gods. 

 Things without Life were made into Gods by the Heathens: 

 The Sun, Moon, and Stars feem to be the firft Idols, or falfe 

 Gods, to whom they paid a divine Regard. PoJJidonius defines a 

 Stary a divine Body. The Zabii eredted Images to the Stars,, 

 which they fancied to be fo many Gods, and that they influenced 

 the Images confecrated to them j yea, and communicated the pro- 

 phetick Spirit to Men. 



T H E 



* Dqus nobis hsec otia fecit. 



